Improvement in barbed fences



M. C. RICHARDS.

BARBED FENCE.

Patented May 29,1877.

Un'rn STATES PATENT MAROIUS G. RICHARDS, OF OSWEGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND HENRY W. FARLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BARBED FENCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. [91,468, dated May 29, 1877; application filed November 15, 1875.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that l, MARGIUS O. RICHARDS, of Oswego, in the county of Kendall, and in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Barbs; and do hereby declare that the following is a full clear, and exact description thereof, ref'erence being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fence protected by my improved barb. Fig. 2 is a like view of one of said barbs enlarged, and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of said barb, and a section of a rail and of the handle employed for driving said barb into said rail.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

The design of my invention is to enable wooden fences of ordinary construction to be barbed so as to turn stock; to which end it consists in a barbed fence composed of wooden rails, which are provided with metal barbs that are inserted within and project from the same, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified.

In the annexed drawings, A represents a fence-barb constructed of or from sheet metal in the form of a diamond. In consequence of its form any number of barbs may be arranged heads and tails when out from a sheet of metal, and thus avoid waste of material.

The barbs thus constructed are employed by driving them endwise into a fence-rail nearly or quite one-half their length, in the usual manner, and operate to prevent cattle from throwing down or in any manner interfering with fences.

In order that the barb A may be easily driven to place, I form a shoulder, a, upon each edge of its outer portion, and over its end place a metal handle or driver, B, which is provided within its lower end with a recess, b, that receives the end of said barb, and permits the end of said driver to rest upon said shoulders, as seen in Fig. 3.

If, now, blows be struck upon the upper end of the driver B, the barb A will be forced into the rail without injury to said barb, the impact being received by the shoulders at and a, while its outer end is not marred or blunted, as would be the case were other means employed for driving it home.

A barbed fence constructed in this manner is in all respects more efficient than those in which the horizontal rails are composed of wire, while by use of my invention ordinary fences already in use may be easily and quickly converted into barbed fences.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, what I claim as new is A barbed fence composed of wooden rails, provided with metal barbs pointed at both ends and inserted ithin, and projecting from, the same, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day of September, 1875.

MARGIUS C. RICHARDS.

Witnesses EUGENE RICHARDS, L. B. SOHRAM. 

